Kevin Bacon Is The Next Freddy Krueger?
Kevin Bacon responded with "never say never" when he was asked if he would take on the role of Freddy Krueger.
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“Never say never.” Those are the words that Kevin Bacon said repeatedly when he was asked if he would be willing to step into the role of the Nightmare on Elm Street villain, Freddy Krueger. During an interview with Screen Rant, the Footloose actor responded to comments made by the original nightmare stalker, Robert Englund, who shared his hopes that Bacon would don the red and green striped sweater and brown fedora for upcoming projects. Never one to pass up a good role – especially one that would see him playing as iconic of a bad guy as Freddie – Bacon reiterated that he stuck to the “never say never” motto, mentioning that there were “very few things” that would make him give a definitive “no.” Keeping all the doors open, the actor said, “You just never know.”
Englund’s casting comments came in a recent interview with Cinema Blend during which the actor said that while it’s most likely just been “gossip,” there was word spreading that Kevin Bacon would pick up his torch. The legendary actor said that Bacon’s casting “would be great” and even gave praise to the actor’s performance in Stir of Echoes, stating that it was a favorite of his. Continuing on, Englund said that he would give his blessing to Bacon as he believes that “he respects horror movies” and that he’s “the right size,” adding that a Bacon recasting “would be real interesting.”
With countless titles under his belt, ranging in every genre under the sun, Kevin Bacon cut his horror film teeth in the classic 1980 slasher flick, Friday the 13th. Since then, he’s appeared in a slew of thrillers and horrors ranging from Englund’s personal favorite Stir of Echoe to Sleepers, and most recently, Peacock’s They/Them. In the latter, Bacon led the feature as the head of a conversion camp for LGBTQ+ youth. The eeriness and disturbing subject matter is only made that much worse when a killer begins to stalk the grounds, cutting down the residents one by one.
As for the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, the Wes Craven-created universe gained a cult following with the debut of 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. In it, a group of teens in the midwestern town of Springwood, Ohio are being stalked in their nightmares by a maniac with knives for fingers. As horrific luck would have it, if you perish in your dreams, you also die in real life. As the nightmarish happenings begin to unravel, it seems as though the horror is all tied to the kids’ parents and a dark past that needs to be untangled before it’s too late. While Englund is absolutely iconic in the terrorizer’s role, we could definitely see Kevin Bacon preying on the teens should another film be made.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Freddie Krueger make an appearance on our screens. After a solid run, the franchise saw a stalling out with more recent reimaginings, making us wonder when the next nightmare will begin. The last was the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street with Jackie Earle Haley taking on the role of the dream attacker. While that question is up in the air, we agree with Englund that Kevin Bacon would be an absolute treat as the dream demon.
